Till Memory Serves

Till Memory Serves takes us down a forgotten lane and revisits those heroes of the Indian Army who served in British India in the time honoured tradition of valour and courage. It is a factual account of the indefatigable spirit of the forty Victoria Cross winners between 1912 and 1947, the period that this coveted award was associated with the Indian Army. From the fifteen year old Lance Naik Nand Singh, the brave Gurkha Subadar Lal Bahadur Thapa to the fearless Lieutenant Karamjeet Singh judge, all of them had one common thread running through them-selfless dedication to duty, disregard to personal safety and an endearing commitment to lzzat. In this 150th year of the institution of the award, this book offers us a golden opportunity to salute the valour of these heroes who set the benchmarks for independent India's Armed Forces. Jaswant Singh has come a long way from his home in the desert districts of Rajasthan. Commissioned in the Indian Army when barely nineteen, he went through two wars whilst in service (1962 and 1965) before resigning his commission to pursue a political career. He has served seven terms in Parliament, and, in the BJP-led governments of 1996 and 1998-2004, held charge of six ministries of the Government of India, including External Affairs, Defence and Finance. Regarded as an authority on Indian foreign policy and national security, Jaswant Singh is among the most respected names in the country's public life, and in the world of diplomacy. He is deservedly given credit for dexterously steering India out of the turbulent diplomatic seas encountered in the aftermath of the nuclear tests of